The best pictures of KSC legend Sean Dundee: And Dundee hands to the sky
How does that crocodile go? Goal!!! At least that was the case for Sean Dundee for a while. Which is why we're naturally celebrating World Crocodile Day today with the most beautiful pictures from a truly wild career.
On December 7, 1972, 50 years ago today, a boy named Sean Dundee was born in Durban, South Africa. In a neighborhood called "The Buff," Dundee later told 11FREUNDE , life was a bit tougher there. "There's a saying: 'We're ruff, we're tuff, we're from The Bluff.'" In 1992, the 19-year-old striker moved to Germany, joining second-division club Stuttgarter Kickers.
Hare's ear, hare's ear, once around, then through the goal! Dundee needs to hone the basics against the Kickers first.
Things aren't going particularly well in Stuttgart on the sporting front, but Dundee (second from left, next to Fredi Bobic) is there live as Thomas Tuchel, for the only time in his life, doesn't snatch a piece of cake off the table in a fit of fury. Sensational.
But of course, the fun ends at some point. Here, Tuchel is threatening physical violence in the background to anyone who actually wants to take a sip of beer (43 calories per 100 ml). Clever: Dundee is staying away from alcohol.
After just seven appearances in two second-division seasons, Dundee moved to Turn- und Sportfreunde Ditzingen, then in the third-tier Regionalliga Süd, and completely exploded into prominence. 24 goals in 34 games marked his breakthrough.
Karlsruher SC then pounced, securing the services of the popular striker for the 1995/1996 season. Or as young people called him back then, according to the PONS Dictionary of Youth Language: "Ehrmann!"
The still South African quickly established himself in the Bundesliga, scoring 16 (!) goals in his first year in the top flight.
Full throttle! Within a very short time, Dundee became one of the top targets for internationally feared man-markers.
But they still can't stop the young man. At Karlsruher SC, reliably fed by playmaker Thomas Hässler, he becomes one of Europe's most sought-after strikers.
We wish we could go back to a time when we thought of this whenever the word "human centipede" was mentioned...
100 percent Dundee: The KSC shooting star and Erik Meijer.
In the summer of 1996, Dundee and KSC reached the cup final. However, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, who had recently been relegated. They would never again come as close to a major title as they did on that day. Sean was a little sad...
For him personally, however, things are still looking up – especially since he now has his own nickname: "Crocodile Dundee." Not to be confused with the so-called Alliga-Tor!
Time for some extremely natural photo shoots: Sean Dundee with his childhood idol Icke Hässler.
Sean Dundee wrestling backwards with Claus Reitmaier.
Sean Dundee, again with Claus Reitmaier, on something?
Sean Dundee, alone and in a KSC jersey that we didn't recognize until just now.
Sean Dundee with a German passport. Wait a minute...
In 1996/1997, Dundee scored 17 Bundesliga goals, and the hype surrounding him became so great that the Federal Republic of Germany spontaneously decided to naturalize him. Even Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, who happened to be a KSC fan, got involved, and the process was expedited due to "outstanding national interest" so that within a few weeks the South African became a German footballer eligible to play for the DFB. Their common goal: the 1998 World Cup.
Unfortunately, he sustained an injury shortly before his first appearance. He was called up twice more afterward, but ultimately never made it onto the pitch.
The only problem (2): Suddenly, things are going wrong at KSC, too. Dundee is struggling, and the team is fighting against relegation in the 1997/1998 season instead of competing for European spots as usual. And then there's the matter of the unfortunate paint job...
The only stupid thing (3): And the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) suddenly volunteers! Dundee, like every young German man, has to complete his military service. The footballer describes his duties during his two months in the military: "Night marches, shooting, hiding, digging holes." He could have joined Schalke. Our opinion.
The only unfortunate thing (4): Instead of playing for the national team, he suddenly has to play for the German A2 team, alongside such promising talents as Holger Greilich and Heiko Gerber. At least he scores in his only appearance. Shortly thereafter, however, the B national team is abolished again.
In his (for now) final season with KSC, Dundee managed only five goals. The team was ultimately relegated.
The striker, who went from fan favorite to villain in record time, fled to the island. Things were supposed to be better for him at Liverpool FC. Spoiler alert: Unfortunately, they weren't.
After just one season (five games, no goals), he returns to southern Germany, this time to VfB Stuttgart. Perhaps he simply wants to make sure that everyone in Karlsruhe is really mad at him?
An image that simply could not be avoided: Dundee and the Stuttgart mascot.
Question: Would a real football professor really let his players train in jeans?
For a relevant answer, please call the VfB information hotline (0711 99 33 1893).
And Dundee, raise your hands! The goal-scoring crocodile is back in the Bundesliga.
Under Ralf Rangnick (and later under other coaches), things are going quite well for Dundee overall. He has scored 33 goals in 104 games for VfB Stuttgart, but (as with Liverpool) he is repeatedly held back by injuries.
So he finds himself on the Stuttgart bench more often than expected.
After all, Dundee doesn't just think about himself; here he is feeding seagulls on Sylt.
When he's fit, he's fit: Under Felix Magath, Dundee briefly flourished, scoring eight goals in nine games across the season in 2002. However, he never recovered from the subsequent injury.
Checkmate: In 2003, Dundee said goodbye to the Bundesliga and moved to Austria Vienna. His coach there was Joachim Löw. He apparently pushed him to underachieving performances; in 18 league matches, Dundee failed to score a single goal.
A year later, he returned to Karlsruhe. After all, he knew where the goals were at the Wildparkstadion. He scored 14 goals in two seasons in the second division.
In 2006, at the age of 33, he moved to Offenbach. The only goal he scored there was a tractor driven by Suat Türker. After a year without a goal, his second-division career was over.
In 2006, he returned again, this time to Stuttgart in the Regionalliga. But his body was failing him, and he only made it onto the pitch five times for Dundee. After that, he returned for the penultimate time, this time to South Africa, as his last professional club was AmaZulu FC. He ended his playing career in 2009.
His final comeback was to Germany: Today he lives back in Karlsruhe, and until a few years ago he even played for FC Grünwinkel in the local league. Today he turns 50. We say thank you for 61 Bundesliga goals, a few unforgettable BravoSport photos, and perhaps the most curious naturalization story in football history. Happy birthday!
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